Birdie Cave
by MontOranUsagi
Summary: That chain of events, the missing pet, the bird attack, the dare, the meeting, and the small fight between them, would create Birdie Cave. The search for the bird would create a group of 7 that would stay together over the years.
1. Discoveries

Arthur Kirkland lived in a neighborhood with about 9 large houses including his own. There were know about 33 people in the neighborhood, some nice others… Not so much. Arthur spent a couple weeks, preparing for his 2 cousin's arrival. Since money was short in their household, the two boys had to be sent somewhere. Arthur being the nice man he is, let them stay with him and his (somewhat) friend, Francis. When they did arrive he finally got to meet his cousins, Alfred and Matthew.

Alfred was the louder of the two. His wheat blond hair and sky blue eyes made him seem innocent but he was always getting into trouble. Matthew was the… less noticeable of the two. His pale blond hair and violet hued eyes seemed very noticeable but didn't work for some reason. He always had hoodies on and his bear, Kumajirou (Kuma for short) with him. The two were very close, despite all differences. He hoped the two wouldn't get into too much trouble. He really didn't want to face the wrath of Ms. Elizabeta's frying pan again.

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><p>"U-Um … Are you sure about this place?" Matthew muttered worriedly to his brother, Alfred," It look's like it's going to collapse."<p>

Alfred let out a laugh as he dragged his brother into the cave. " It looks fine, no need to worry Mattie!" he assured. " Besides, I heard there's aliens in there! We'll just take a quick look and go! "

Matthew was still apprehensive about this; he looked back at Arthur's house, wanting to be in there than in this dark, murky cave. But, as always he went along with Alfred's little adventure.

Man was this cave scary. The stalactites and stalagmites jutting out at different angles, giving it the appearance of a beast with it's mouth wide open. It's razor sharp claws and teeth ready to attack. The mere thought of it made him shiver.

" We can do this Kuma," Matthew clutched his bear and took a step forward, farther into the cave. He relaxed as the silence and darkness became less hostile to his senses, the surroundings now less intimidating. Now that he thought about it, the cave was harmless. Mostly filled with plants, only a few animals here and there. Now he only had to prove to Alfred that there are no aliens in this cave so he can out of here.

" Hey Mattie! There's birdie! It's so fluffy and yellow!" Alfred exclaimed poking at the bird, the small animal giving him the evil eye.

" I-I wouldn't do that if I were you, Al." Matthew warned. Too late it seemed. The bird latched onto Alfred's finger, pecking, not letting go.

" Ow! MAKE IT STOP! It's a demonic bird!" Alfred wailed, absolutely terrified.

Matthew sighed, taking off his backpack, he rummaged through to find a band-aid. With much luck he found his last one.

"Alright this might hurt a little." He tugged at the bird. 'This thing's not letting go… Maybe if I…' Apparently his idea worked. Petting the little demon bird made it stop its death-hold on his brother's finger, it reverting to it's regular, adorable, non-demonic self.

'Something must be wrong with that bird.' Matthew thought as he inspected Alfred's finger, putting the band-aid on carefully.

" Is the bite okay? Did the bird have rabies?" Alfred whimpered

" Only mammals get rabies." He deadpanned back.

" What! Birds aren't mammals?"

Matthew facepalmed. Sometimes Alfred was so… immature. Yeah, he's 10 but still, he can't be that naive can he?

" Just don't be so quick to rush into things, Al. You could get really hurt next time." Matthew said only to hear his brother's laugh.

" Don't worry Mattie! If I do get hurt it won't matter. I'm the hero and that means I'm invincible! I'll prove it to you. I'll go on ahead." Alfred bellowed as he did so.

Matthew mumbled a goodbye as he tried to coax the little bird out of hiding. Apparently the little thing was depressed after being called a ' demonic bird' so it was pouting in it's little corner. He rolled up his red hoodie sleeves and started poking the bird. This plan had to work. He felt the bird clamp down on his finger and let out a small yelp. Matthew quickly pulled the bird out of its corner and put the miffed little thing on his shoulder.

The bird gave him the evil eye.

" Come on now birdie," he murmured while petting the bird." Let's go find my brother."

And off they went.

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><p>Lovino had enough of it. Feliciano was enough for him to handle, but dealing with his friends… Way too much, especially when that albino one was involved in this. That jerk Gilbert was the one who led them to the cave and dared Lovino to enter it.<p>

"Kesesese~' he said, " Quit being such a wuss, Lovi. We all know you're too scared to go into the cave."

That resulted in a slap and a chain of cuss words from the short angry Italian. To prove Gilbert wrong, he had bounded into the cave, bringing everyone with him.

Currently, Feliciano was nervously talking on and on, a habit he did when was scared. A loud thud nearby made him jump and wrap his arms around Ludwig, Gilbert's younger brother."Ve, This cave is scary," he shrieked.

Ludwig responded with a stiff, " If you want to ever get stronger you need to quit being so scared all the time."

" But Ludwig, I'll always get scared if I'm alone. Since your here it's not as scary!" Feliciano snuggled more into to Ludwig's arm to show his point. The German's cheeks were a bright red as he became stiffer in response.

" Hey, look West, you're blushing! Gilbert chirped poking his brother on the cheek.

" I'm not blushing, it's just… hot in here." Ludwig retorted turning his face away to hide his flushed cheeks.

" You better not do anything to my brother, potato-eater," Lovino accused, voice filled with bravado. "It'll be the end of you as you know it"

" Ve! Quit it _fratello_! Ludwig's a really good guy, why do you dislike him so much? " Feliciano wailed." Do you need more hug therapy?"

" No, I do not need hug therapy and I don't trust him because someone who is so tall and eats so many potatoes should not be trusted!" Lovino replied unhappily to his brother.

" _Fratello_! There's nothing wrong with eating potatoes!

" Oh shut it Feli. You only care about him because you get to play with his brother's birds."

"Speaking of gilbirds, where the heck is Zwölf?" Gilbert hollered.

"Oh no! Poor little Gilbird! Ve ! What if he gets eaten? What if-" Feliciano stopped.

"…MAKE IT STOP! "

The faint scream echoed through the cave. Everyone's faces paled.

" Am I the only one who heard that?"

"W-what was that?"

"Ve, we should turn around and go back. _Fratello_ already went in so…"

" What? No, you guys can't, we need to find Zwölf! Just because you hear a scream you run out?" Gilbert yelled, outraged.

"Yep" They replied simultaneously.

" Come on wusses, don't you want to find out who's screaming? Look there's another opening right here. We'll check there and get out of here okay?"

" Yes Sir!" Feliciano saluted.

Everyone crawled through the small opening finding the biggest place in the cave. It was absolutely stunning. The usually dark, scary color was replaced with a vibrant blue, reflecting the color of the small pond that formed from the lake nearby. Stalactites and stalagmites looked more like dark blue crystals than terrifying claws. A small opening on the ceiling let in light to reveal several bird nests in the nook and crannies, some in use, some not. The place decorated with small green plants, some Ludwig recognized edible. It gave off a tranquil vibe; the only problem was that there was already a person there.

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><p><strong>AN:**

Welcome to Birdie Cave! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did to write it. Pairings... well, there will be multiple pairings in this but for right now since they're only ten-twelve, friendship building. But, there will be PruCan, GerIta,Romerica, and several others. I'll try to update often and make each chapter about 1000 words. Since this is my first story, ConCrit will be widely expected. Alright, Read n' Review!


	2. Discovering Aliens, Naming Caves

**Disclaimer: I don't nor have I ever owned Hetalia: Axis Powers.**

Thank you for the alerts and favorites. It makes me feel special when people enjoy my work. Okay, so while writing this I realized that with 7 characters in a room together, it can get pretty busy. So after another chapter or so, the story is going to progress when only two or three characters are the main focus. All right, it's now story time.

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><p>In the center of the cave, a boy laid on the ground, his short black hair disheveled by doing so. A dog sat next to him, contently nuzzling the hand petting him. The boy, whose name was Kiku, hummed in content, enjoying the serene scene around him. He had come here today to escape his busy household of 6 and enjoy his day in peace. He already spent hours staring at the sky, making out pictures in the clouds. Every now and then a bird would fly into the cave, using the gap in the ceiling, and he'd make a mental note of which nest the bird went to and continue with his day.<p>

'How peaceful' he thought, closing his eyes. Pochi, the dog next to him, suddenly growled at a group that had entered from one of the three entrances, Kiku's eyes abruptly opened due to the growling from Pochi. He quickly stood up, wielding a stick as a weapon, hoping that it would scare them away; it didn't.

"Ve, Why is the short Asian waving a stick at us?" A short reddish-brown haired kid pondered, poking a scowling brunette, the scowl deepening as he continued poking.

" Quit poking me idiot! I don't know why, maybe it's a cultural thing?" the brunette responded slapping away his hand.

" May you please tell me what you are doing here?" Kiku asked politely, even though he was slightly offended.

" Holy Crap! He talked!" An albino shrieked, popping up from behind a tall blond." I thought he would speak Chinese."

" No, he doesn't look Chinese, jerk… Maybe Korean?" The brunette replied.

"Ve~! I've never met a Korean before!"

The chatter continued, Kiku keeping his face stoic as it continued. The chatter turned into yelling as a disagreement sprouted between the brunette and the albino about his ethnicity.

" Will you all shut up and answer his question!" the blond screamed silencing everyone.

"…"

"Alright, let's first introduce ourselves. I am Ludwig Beilschmidt, nice to meet you." He continued

" I'm Feliciano Vargas, but most people call me Feli," The reddish-brown haired kid interjected, shaking Kiku's hand." This is my brother Lo-"

" _Idiota_, I can introduce myself thank you very much!" The brunette fumed. "I'm Lovino, jerk."

"And I'm the super awesome, Prussian, Gilbert, the blond guy's big brother. But you may call me Lord Awesome." The albino boasted, leaning on Ludwig's shoulder.

Kiku already knew this group, somewhat. After studying he would look outside and would see them hanging around the neighborhood, joking around, occasionally going to the ice-cream shop. Sometimes he wanted to go outside with them but his brother, Yao, had high standards for Kiku so he was often trapped inside, studying. It was a miracle he made it outside today, Im Yong Soo clung onto his leg as he walked out the door and had to be pried off using a shovel. The look Yao sent him as he left made him shudder, still.

" I-I am Kiku Honda, p- preasure to meet you," he stuttered out, blushing, as his English became Engrish." Pleasure, I mean. And this is Pochi."

Pochi yipped in response.

" It's a puppy~!" Feliciano flailed his arms in a strange manner. " It's so cute~!"

Kiku gave him a strange look but didn't say anything.

' Best not to think about it,' Kiku made a mental note.

Feliciano ran off as the argument between Romano and Gilbert continued. Still discussing if he was Chinese or Korean, both wrong.

"I bet Kiku is Chinese, Koreans are really loud and stuff, this guy has barely talked!" Gilbert pointed out to Lovino.

" Yeah, but I thought that the Chinese say stuff like 'Ayaah'. He could be Korean, jerk. That's just a stereotype." Lovino argued back.

"That is a stereotype, Lovino." Ludwig interjected.

" Shush it, Macho Potato!"

" I thought that the Chinese were suppose to say 'Aru' at the end of each sentence." Gilbert thought aloud.

" Then why did you think he was Chinese, he hasn't said 'Aru' once." Lovino fumed.

" Actually I'm Japanese…" Kiku finally spoke up.

Everyone looked at him in wonder. The room was silent except for Feliciano, chatting with something in the corner?

" Ve~! There's someone spying on us!" Feliciano bellowed pointing at two blond boys, one cowering the corner, the other in total awe pointing at Gilbert in particular.

" Holy Crap! It's a demon! I though I'd find aliens but I found a demon!" He rambled on. " Told you I'd find them Mattie."

" What have you gotten in us now Al." The one in the corner, Mattie, mumbled.

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><p><strong>A few minutes before the current event.<strong>

"I hope Al didn't get into too much trouble" Matthew had been having trouble in finding his brother, his trail of laughs had died down leaving Matthew worried for his well-being.

" Hahaha " A laugh rang through the cave walls.

'There he is' Matthew continued down the trail. He eyed the little bird on his shoulder, it's feathers ruffled, nuzzled into the depths of his red hoodie. The little thing had fallen asleep during the adventure. The trail became colder as he went on, the scared feeling returning.

"A-Alfred? Are you t-there?" He stuttered out, the atmosphere changed. It became less nice and friendly, more dark and ominous. A quick thud behind him made him jump, a hand covering his mouth to hide a yelp. The bird woke up, pecking, the attacker.

"Mattie! Tell the bird off! We're spying on the aliens," Alfred whispered taking his hand off his brother's mouth. " Let's be sneaky."

There was a group of 5 in the center of the main room of cave. Discussing… Well, arguing about something. As the argument got deeper Alfred lost interest and the bird suddenly decided to chirp loudly and repeatedly, as if calling out to someone.

" The bird! It's going to give us away if it doesn't stop." Alfred said crouching behind a rock to get closer; Matthew followed so.

" S- sorry! I'll try to make it stop. " Matthew closed the little birds mouth in attempt to stop the noise, it failed.

" Let the hero try!"

" A-are you sure Al? It might bite you again."

" I'm the hero remember!"

"Sorry…"

"Ow! It bit me again! Stupid bird!"

"Zwölf isn't stupid, why would you need to keep quiet, Ve~?" a voice behind them mused. They both turn around to see one the 'aliens' standing there, dumbfounded at the sight.

Alfred, who at the moment was panicking came up with a lie to throw off the 'alien'.

" Aliens, we have been spy on you for hours! We know your secrets! Take us to your leaders." He commanded.

It failed.

" Ve~! There's someone spying on us in the corner!" The boy bellowed.

" Oh Maple Leaf." Matthew muttered under his breath.

* * *

><p>It took a while for the two groups to explain and introduce each other. Alfred was studying the 'aliens' most of the time leaving Matthew there to explain, stuttering with his quiet voice like an idiot. Lovino yelling at him to speak louder made it harder to but eventually, he got the point across. It turned out the bird belonged to Gilbert. When Matthew told him about how the bird attacked his brother, he simply laughed and said:<p>

" That's Zwölf alright, that's how he got his name"

" Wh-why is he named Zwölf?" Matthew asked.

" Please don't ask him that." Ludwig groaned behind him

Gilbert's face stiffened up, completely serious. " He killed 12 people."

Matthew really wished he didn't ask.

"Heh, Kesese~ It's weird. Usually when he goes AWOL he attacks anything that comes near him. He must like you!" Gilbert added. "I'll call you Birdie because you're small and your hair color reminds me of Zwölf."

Matthew turned a bright red and looked at the floor, fidgeting with his hoodie sleeves, a nervous habit. Yeah, he had a petite frame but he wasn't that small, only an inch shorter than Alfred and he was taller then Arthur.

"Hey, Mattie!" Alfred's voice yelled behind him. "Lovino gave me an awesome nickname, Hamburger Head!"

" That was an insult, stupid" Lovino fumed.

" Still a nickname though!" He smiled wrapping his arm around Lovino's shoulder, the short Italian's face resembling a tomato.

"Chigi! You bastardo, get off of me." Lovino pushed Alfred's arms off and punched his shoulder.

"Oh no! Fratello is mad now! Hug Therapy!" Feliciano chirped bringing Lovino into a tight embrace.

" Get off me now! I don't need hug therapy." Lovino crabbed.

" While we wait for them to sort that out," Matthew's attention returned to his and Gilbert's discussion." I say we name this awesome hangout, I suggest Cave Awesome!"

" No, I think we should name it Alfred the Hero's Super Cave!" Alfred injected.

" Ve~ we should name it Deliziosa Pasta Grotta!" Feliciano chimed in.

" All of your ideas are stupid." Lovino barked.

" I think we should name it Bird Cave." Kiku, who had been discussing something with Ludwig, spoke up. " There are so many bird nests here that I thought the name would fit."

" I-I like Kiku's idea, b-but maybe we should name it Birdie Cave?" Matthew suggested, hoping they wouldn't overlook him.

" Hm... I like sounds pretty awesome. Has a nice ring to it."

" Yeah, much better than 'Alfred the Hero's Super Cave'"

" Hey, I liked that name! But Birdie Cave is all right with me."

" I agree with Alfred, It is a good name."

" Ve~! It sounds pretty."

" It's a Reasonable name."

And so it was agreed for the cave to be called Birdie Cave.


	3. Dinner Time

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia, if I did I'd make Canada have more screen-time. **

_Thank you for the reviews and alerts! Sorry I was a week late on updating. I was busy with school work and finishing some anime. I'll try to update every Sunday or so._

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><p>It was 6:55 when Kiku came home, an hour later than his brother expected him. He was in trouble. He opened the gate to the backyard and let Pochi run in. It'd be hard to sneak in with a loud dog.<p>

" Aiyahh, Where have been Kiku, aru?" Yao's voice rang out as Kiku silently closed the door behind him. He had gotten caught. He sighed and slipped off his shoes and jacket before heading up the stairs.

" Out." Kiku deadpanned. He went up to his room, avoiding several toys that still hadn't been picked up yet.

" You better wash up, we're having stir-fry for dinner, and don't think you're not in trouble for what you did you this morning and for coming late." Yao disciplined." Im Yong was blubbering for hours about that, aru."

"Hai, I'll be down soon." Kiku groaned. He slipped into his room. A generic room it was, it involved a simple layout of a bed, desk, a cabinet full of books and a small walk-in-closet. He skimmed the cabinet and chose a favorite manga of his and flopped onto his bed. He soon heard Pochi's distressed bark from outside his window, either Xiao was tugging on his tail or Im Yong was hugging him in the grabbing his ears claiming he was his. Probably both.

Kiku sighed and trudged down stairs to the backyard. He slid the glass door open and stepped into the large backyard to find Im Yong and Pochi running in the koi pond attempting to catch fish, Xiao and Anh splashing in the water near them, Kaoru and Thai in the corner fiddling in the corner with fireworks, a normal occurrence in the Wang family.

" Yao says it's time for dinner, wash up." Kiku instructed." Those who are not clean shall not eat stir-fry."

" Eh?" His siblings said simultaneously.

Kiku quickly moved out of the way as a stampede rushed upstairs. They really do like stir-fry. He ran his fingers through his hair as he went to the kitchen table, sat down and waited for the others to come.

" Dinner's ready, aru!" Yao yelled. The trampling of little feet could be heard as all the other members of the family ran to the table, pushing and shoving to get to the table first.

" Yum, Stir- fry!" Im Yong chirped as he pounced into the chair. Everyone sat in their usual seats, putting on his or her nicest smiles hoping to get first serving.

" Now that everyone is here, let's do a head-count. In Japanese today." Yao announced. " Ichi, aru."

" Ni"

"San"

" Yon"

" Go"

"Roku"

"Nana"

"All clear, now dig in, aru!" Yao smiled cheerfully. At that moment, 5 faces at the table had mischievous, wide grins. Im Yong grabbed a handful of vegetables and delivered a blow directly to Ahn. Ahn being the tomboyish girl she is, responded with an egg roll that hit Thai straight in the face and that's when a food fight started. For the next half hour, food was flying everywhere, everyone was screaming in several different languages, people chirped da-ze's and grabbed many breasts. Kiku was currently under the table hiding from the scene.

" Why can't my family be normal?" He muttered.

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><p>Feliciano chirped with delight the whole way home, he was glad he and Lovino had made some new friends and could play with people other than Ludwig. Now all he to do was change into his suit and go to " The Forgiveness Party" that Mr. Arthur set up so that he wouldn't get sued for scaring the two Italian brothers half to death, Nonno had been pretty mad about that. The good thing was that Ludwig and Gilbert were coming too! Gilbert didn't get along well with Mr. Arthur, the last incident being almost blowing up his rosebushes by adding a small firework in the garden. Vati had been forced to go to this party to repay for his son's behavior.<p>

" Nonno, We're home~!" Feliciano announced. Nonno's head popped up in surprise from his bed as he heard their arrival, while Antonio stuck his head out of the kitchen and chimed in a hello.

"Dammit, Not so loud," Lovino scolded, rubbing his temples as he walked in. " Let's get ready for the 'Let's Not Get Sued Party.'" The older Italian dragged his brother up the stairs, to their room to change.

"Ve, Fratello, should I wear a suit or something less formal?" Feliciano pondered.

"Hm… I suggest less formal, maybe a sweater or something." Lovino shoved a random clothing article into his brother's face and went to handle his own outfit. He pulled out some pants from the bottom of his drawer and straightened it out, inspecting it closely. After deciding they were worthy enough for him to wear he slipped it on and chose a white shirt and a jacket.

" Ve! I'm ready!" Feliciano said. Antonio burst in as he heard those words.

" Que Bonito! You' re so cute Feli!" He cooed. It was true though; Feliciano was dressed in a cute little brown sweater-wool hat combo that just screamed adorable.

" Oh, so they are-a ready now?" Nonno asked peering into the room. Everyone nodded and headed out the door to Arthur's house. They all hoped he wasn't cooking.

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><p>" Now, we are going to have visitors over so I repeat. I repeat no shenanigans." Arthur instructed. Matthew stiffened as he pointed at them. Arthur had lined them up as if they were in the military, walking back and forth as he ranted.<p>

" If anyone of you causes any trouble," He eyed Alfred particularly while saying this. " No food for the rest of the week."

" Ohonhon~ Mon cher, would that be a punishment or a blessing?" Francis sneered from the kitchen. " I'm glad you let me cook tonight, the situation wouldn't get any better if the guests got food poisoning."

Alfred and Matthew could sense an argument arising and headed upstairs. Arthur walked into the kitchen, fuming

" What's wrong with my cooking, you effeminate frog?" Arthur hollered. "You wouldn't know good cooking if it bit you on the ass!"

"You still think that rotten pastries is good food." Francis chuckled as he ran a finger up Arthur's chin to lift it up to his level. " Mon petit idiot, you're still as stubborn as ever."

Arthur's face turned beet red. "Quit trying to seduce me wine-bastard!" He yelled.

" Alright, I'll save that until bed. Ohonhonhon~."

"Why you cheeky bastar-"

A loud knocking at the door interrupted the argument. Arthur released the hold on Francis' neck, smoothed out his sweater-vest, and opened the door. The Beilschmidts had arrived. The patriarch of the family, a long-haired man known as Vati, held out a gift as they entered.

"Thank you for coming." Arthur smiled grimly. Vati was rather intimidating; the stoics look on his face never leaving as he sat down into the living room. Ludwig and Gilbert followed.

"Limey" Gilbert muttered.

"Git" Arthur growled.

"Leck mich am Arsch" Gilbert smirked'

" Stop it. There is no need for that sort of language Gilbert." Vati scolded.

" He can't talk to Lord Awesome like that! He deserved it." Gilbert responded.

"Don't think so highly of yourself, Gilbert" Ludwig said.

Arthur's gaze wandered to him. The 12 year old reading the book he brought, clearly enjoying the book but still scowling. A splitting image of his father, very mature, very different from Gilbert.

" Hey, Mattie it's that demon dude!" Alfred yelled as he entered the room. " He must like ya, he followed you home."

" Alfre-" Matthew tried saying.

"Me and Birdie are just friends, unlike you and Lovi, who wouldn't want to be my friend?" Gilbert scoffed.

" Whatever. I'm hungry. Is the food ready Mr. Frenchy?" Alfred bellowed rubbing his belly to put emphasize on his hunger.

" Yes, but we have to wait for Antonio and the others." Francis replied.

As if on cue the door swung open.

"We're here~!" Antonio chirped in happily." Let's eat. I brought tomatoes!"

Each man sat down at the table, got their share of food and ate; the whole table silent, very awkward. Afterward the kids left the table and went to living room while the adults discussed 'adult things'.

" So, it's a plan. We go to Birdie Cave everyday or so. 4:00 or so on school days, 12:30 on weekends. You're not required to go on those times but you'll most likely see someone there at that time. Will someone tell Kiku when they see him?" Ludwig instructed.

"We'll tell him!" Feliciano waved his hand rapidly.

" I won't." Lovino scowled.

They all did meet the next day though.

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><p><em>Translations:<em>

_Nonno- Italian- Grandfather_

_Fratello- Italian- Brother_

_Que Bonito- Spanish- How cute_

_Mon Cher-French- My dear (male)_

_Mon Petit Idiot- French- My little idiot_

_Vati- German- Dad_

_Leck mich am Arsch- German- Lick my Ass_

_I really don't know why Germans say lick it instead of kiss it. I'll go Google it later._


End file.
